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Wrinkle Cure From Vitamins?

By Reuters
Contributed by Rachelle Austin
PARIS
April 23, 1998

Applying anti-oxidant vitamins directly to the skin can slow the formation of new wrinkles and erase, to some extent, existing wrinkles and lines, according to a study made public on Thursday.

The study by a non-profit independent group of French scientists found that applying vitamins C, E and beta carotene to the skin may significantly reduce the long-term damage caused by ultra-violet radiation, a key component of sunlight.

It may also actually partially reverse damage already done, the scientists said.

Exposure to the ultraviolet radiation in sunlight is a key cause of skin ``aging.''

``We have found that topical anti-oxidants can benefit the skin significantly and play a protective role,'' said Dr Serge Hercberg, the study's coordinator, in a statement.

``Our final results determined that regular application of anti-oxidant vitamins to the skin not only inhibits ultraviolet-induced damage...but may also facilitate the repair of existing damage -- the result of which is loss of elasticity which could lead to wrinkling and premature skin ageing,'' he said.

The research group's work is supported by grants from private firms in various industries.

U.S. cosmetics firm Estee Lauder provided the anti-oxidant vitamin product used in the trial and participated in the study, a spokesman for the project said.

The findings are due to be presented to international dermatology meetings next month, the spokesman told Reuters.

The study, part of a larger eight-year study of nutrition and health in Europe, looked at 160 French women over an 18-month period.

Researchers divided the women into four groups. One took the vitamins in the form of pills, and a second rubbed the vitamins directly on the skin.

The remaining two groups either ingested or applied placebos -- harmless compounds containing no vitamins -- solely for comparison purposes.

``The most profound results, obtained after 18 months of treatment, clearly showed a marked improvement in the condition of the skin,'' the researchers' statement said.

They found ``a 23 percent reduction in the formation of new lines and wrinkles and an eight percent reduction in existing lines and wrinkles.''

Much is already known about the ability of anti-oxidant vitamins to protect against the damaging effects of free radicals, a highly reactive type of oxygen atom that occurs naturally in the body and can harm tissue, constrict blood vessels and stimulate cancer growth.

The researchers said their study was the first to focus on the vitamins' effect when applied to the skin rather than ingested.

The larger study, known as the Supplemental Vitamin and Mineral Antioxidant Trial, or SU.VI.MAX, began in 1993 and involves some 15,000 subjects.

It is the largest trial of its type on nutrition in Europe.

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